Do chickens like to watch TV? (or listen to the radio?)

[jipjip]

Would you like to try a little IQ test on your chickens.? I thought this was really interesting. The idea came from a dog intelligence book...

Put food on one side of wire netting fence where the chicken can see it but has to go AROUND the fence a metre or so to get it. See how many trials it takes before she figures out to GO AROUND immediately rather than running up and down the wire. My poodle learnt to do this in 3-4 trails, my child at around 2 years also took about 3 trails (if I remember correctly) It was a harder test for the dog and child because they saw me put the toy (instead of food) behind a solid wall rather than wire netting and they had to travel 4- 5 metres around. The dog can now understand the command GO AROUND and will travel 20-30 metres to collect a ball on the other side of a barrier. The child is now at school and can follow all sorts of complicated instructions....!

I have found that some chickens NEVER learn to go around immediately - they and just run up and down until by chance they go around the corner. Other (? smarter) chickens learn this really quite quickly but it takes weeks rather than days....Once they learn it they do tend to remember it.

The weird things one does to fill in the day at home with a toddler......

 

[Guinea Goonie]

We have used a radio in the horse barn for longer than I care to remember. So of course I put one in the chicken barn and they are quite used to it.

I play country (of course) and sometimes in the day I turn the thing up loud and play 80 and 90 era rock n roll.

It does seem to keep the predators out of the barn and I have a light on in the "office" of the barn which is where the feed and supplies are for the chickies. They lay a lot of eggs in there too because it is set off from the rest of the barn.

So ya I think a radio is a good thing. Do not know about TV though never tried it nor do I really wish to.

 

[vnploveschickens]

I put country music on the radio for the 6 chicks. They're about 7 weeks old now. They seem to like it.

 

[wartrek79]

my baby chicks seem to be sing along when we play guitar hero, lol.

 

[silkeysandra]

i haven't checked my chickens feelings on my rock music choices, but my lizard (received as a rescue at 2.5 feet) really loved to watch the soaps when he lived in my daughter's room. He did not like much music, but did like the Oasis--soft contemporary music--but not Kenny G. Me neither. I think it was the high pitched notes--like screaming maybe to him.
Anyway, now that he has a big boy cage in the TV room, he sometimes watches the cooking channel, auto racing, hockey, CSI, and he liked Torchwood. Hope it comes back on. I think he liked watching his cousins running amuck and causing a mess! ha!
But for the chicks, the seem happy when i sing oldies (Glow Worm, Red Door, How Much is that Doggie . . .) to them as I am fixing their houses (food/water) for night. They will look at me and cock their heads and sometimes twurtle along with me. very cute.

 

[cmom]

I have never tried a TV but do have a radio in my coop.

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

I know this is a old thread but my cockerel likes watching the Simpsons with me on the couch

 

[KeepingDixie]

When my chicks (three EEs) were about 10 weeks old to help them settle in for the night, I played videos on Youtube of baby chicks. No music just baby chick sounds. My babies would settle in and watch. I soon found myself asking each night, "ready for a chick flick?" When I wasn't around for the nightly routine other member of my family discovered they also liked rainforest sounds of monkey sounds, bug noises and bird calls. They had strong reactions to large predator sounds. So we stayed away from those types of videos.

 

[KeepingDixie]

Hmmm, what if the network ppl created a CSI with muppets for actors?

 

[RoyalChick]

Mine clearly love music and their tastes seem quite broad. I think I need to get them a radio of their own.